Wronged (The Cuvier Widows Book 1) by Sylvia McDaniel Page B

capital from Cuvier Shipping to achieve his
dreams.
     

Chapter Five
     
    E xhausted, Marian
reclined, putting her feet up on the footstool in her sitting room.
The afternoon had been spent with both of her children, playing
games, catching up on their schoolwork, and just being with them.
The problems of Cuvier Shipping had been left behind and for a
little while, she’d been just a mother.
    She hoped the time together would help Philip
come to terms with his father’s death. She worried about her son,
but didn’t quite know how to help him. One moment he seemed a
little boy and in the next moment he tried to act a man. Since
Jean’s death, he’d fluctuated between sad and angry, lashing out at
anyone in his path, including his mother.
    Marian closed her eyes, reveling in the
silence. It seemed like forever since she’d just laid back with her
feet up. Cuvier Shipping consumed her time and for the first time
she understood some of Jean’s moods. At night she came home
exhausted, with her mind reeling from the information she gained
researching the files. The clientele was large, money matters
complex, and the volume of work staggering for such a small
company. As the female partner, she received very little
respect.
    Yet for the first time in years, she felt
invigorated and challenged, and more determined than ever before to
show Louis Fournet and the men she worked with that she could lead
this company. Just until her son was old enough, then she would
gladly relinquish the control to Philip and Louis.
    Her mind conjured up images of Louis sitting
across from her laughing and talking to Philip, smiling at her,
making her feel warmer than the afternoon sun. He’d treated her son
well today, going out of his way to cheer Philip’s spirits and
offering to show him his father’s company.
    Today for the first time she’d even felt like
there was progress between the two of them. Though part of her
wondered if it was because of Philip, the other part just wanted to
accept Louis’s behavior at face value. Maybe he was softening
toward the idea of her working in the business? Or maybe he thought
Philip needed a man’s influence. Whatever the reason, he certainly
seemed congenial and she’d enjoyed the time they spent
together.
    “There you are,” Claire said, coming into the
room. “I wondered where you’d gone to.”
    “After I said good night to the children, I
decided to sit down and relax a bit,” Marian said opening her eyes
to look at Claire.
    “Hard day working with the men of Cuvier
Shipping?” her sister asked, smoothing her skirt as she sat on the
fainting couch in Marian’s sitting room.
    Marian chuckled. “Actually, today went rather
well and that surprised me.”
    “What was different about today?” she
asked.
    “Louis was nice to me and to Philip.”
    Claire raised her brows at Marian. “Not our
Mr. Fournet? The one determined to rid Cuvier Shipping of you?”
    “Yes. He brought Philip and me home when he
realized that Philip had come from school. Then he took us to
Tony’s for an Italian ice. He even offered to take Philip on a tour
of Cuvier Shipping, which excited the boy.”
    “What’s the man after now?” Claire asked, a
frown wrinkling her forehead. “Maybe he’s decided if ignoring you
doesn’t work, that he’ll go through Philip to convince you to stay
away.”
    “No, I don’t think so, he was quite different
when Philip was there,” Marian said, remembering the way Louis had
reacted to her son.
    “I’d be very careful letting him get near the
boy. Philip is much too vulnerable right now.”
    Marian didn’t pay her sister any mind. “I
caught Louis standing in the doorway, watching me doctor Philip. He
looked almost sad as he gazed at the boy. Maybe I imagined the
look, but he seemed different today. He went out of his way to
treat Philip and myself nicely. He seemed genuine. Almost a
different person.”
    “You must be careful, Marian. He’s going to
try a new